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Comments
Has anyone else noticed excessive blind spots on this car, and can anyone suggest a fix? I have had a couple of surprises with the car and would like to avoid something worse.
Best wishes,
Ed
-'02 325i - 11k miles and a bigger grin.
Brave, Shipo: My dealer inflated my tires to 31 psi front/ 38 psi rear. Does that sound reasonable? The reason I ask is that my dealer offers a "free tires for life" deal which is only valid if the owner doesn't cause undue wear and tear because of neglect or downright stupidity. The skeptical side of me wonders why the dealer is advising the disparity between front in rear? Any thoughts?
what does the doorjamb say? it's printed right there what bmw thinks you should have.
unless you have an aftermarket suspension kit/wheels... those will be tuned to different tire pressures... for example, i have dinan stage 1 in mine (and ltw forged 17" wheels), which they tell you to start out at 32 front/34 rear (on my particular car, anyway, i'm assuming they are tuned differently for different bodystyles), whereas oem parts wanted 32/36... the pp s-02's liked the 32/34 numbers, the new pp s-03's seem to like a little more in the fronts (this could be just due to the fact that they are new")...
free tires for life??? dadgum, i should have bought there!!!!
speaking of tires... anyone (besides me) read the new roundel yet?
blind spots... yea, they are there, but are easily solved by looking over your shoulder...
-Chris
ps. thanks pat!
i just leave mine dirty... i know, i know, i'm gonna get flamed for that, but i'd rather drive my car than clean my car... on the rare occasions that i actually wash it, i clean the wheels with soap and water... every 6 months they get waxed by the detailer...
-Chris
efxx: get that mirror checked out,mine is the stiffest(sp?). ive ever seen it should not be moving around.
Chris: i know im sick, but my wheels and car get a bath once or twice a week.However with a week of rain in DFW im haveing to live with it
DL
don't get me wrong, i love the way my car looks when it is clean... i'm just too darn lazy wash it regularly... the inside is clean, and i treat the seats religiously every two weeks (a MUST in a ragtop, especially in summer)...
-Chris
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
-Chris
I originally had a lot of problems with the blind spots and found that (as others here just suggested) adjusting the mirrors outwards so you can't really see behind you but just the side lanes. This will eliminate most of the blind spot. This takes a lot of getting used to.
Same issue when backing up... very hard to judge. With time I have no problems anymore.
On another note... I noticed when I first hit my brakes the steering wheel would give a little yank to the left. Dealer test-drove and says it needs lower control arms and bushings. Car has about 7,000 miles on it.
CNorthrup
Hello my name is Paul and I'm a recovering (or would that be recurring?) BMW junkie.
I have my own opinions about why people boast about certain cars from certain manufacturers, but if I aired them, I'd probably be banned for not being PC.
-Paul
I just realized (well, the BMW diplay told me and I verified it) that one of the bulbs on my tail/break light has burned out. This is a stupid question but would the warranty cover it? Also, if I had to do this myself where would the best place to get a bulb? Is CircleBMW still the "recommended" online BMW auto parts provider?
For a part like that it would probably be better to go and get it from the dealership.
Thanks.
What I hate is when I leave a safe distance in front of me, which is evidently an invitation for anyone to take that spot just because their car happens to fit.
I have had the luck to get read ended in my pretty 330i, just three months after purchase. But I was stopped at a stoplight and didn't hear it coming. I got hit at a high enough speed that the woman's airbag went off when she slammed into me. And the force of the impact pushed me into the back end of the car in front of me. I love being the Oreo filling... The police officer tried to cite me as well, assuming I must have been moving to hit the car in front of me. He was rather incredulous when everyone except the woman who hit me said I was stopped.
All I have to say is thank goodness I was in the BMW when I got into the accident. Everything worked as it should and the back end was pretty bad, but no one was injured, just stiff and sore. The car looked perfect other than the front and back end damage, so nothing else "moved" in the accident. Ad, yes the car will disconnect the battery, turn on the interior lights and hazards and shut off when you get hit hard enough. Took me a few seconds to figure out what had happened when the car lit up like a Christmas tree. We had to push it out of the road into a parking lot.
Sorry for the saga...
Kelly
As it turned out, the bulbs were the ONLY unscheduled maintenance that my car had in the 40,000 miles that I had it. Not too bad in my book. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
For R&T test, the 330i won 5 of 7 "Performance" subcategories. G35 won only 2. The 330i won 4 "Subjective" subcategories and tied for 1 (with the G35). The G35 won NO "Subjective" subcategories and tied for one (with the 330i). And 7 out of 11 R&T writers said the 330i was the best car. Only 2 chose the G35. These facts speak for themselves. This is what R&T published. No way to interpret this as a G35 win. Close but still no cigar!
Everybody else here thats in "BMW 3-series" do you like your 3-series?? If yes raise your hand.
I suspect everyone is somewhat pleased with "their" choice. So could we please drop the "mines better than yours routine"? It was annoying in the 3rd Grade and is just as annoying now.
Sorry guys, but I'm bored with the freaky conversation...I'm gonna go drive!
On another note, I posted many moons ago that I was trying to get my wife in for a test drive. Her schedule is finally freeing up and I think we are headed for the dealership (whoops, I mean BMW Center) on Friday. I'll keep you posted.
-Frank
To Everybody Else: Now that I've gotten in my last shot (unfair, I know), the best way to shut this guy up is to ignore his posts. Posting with no response will eventually get boring for him.
Erick: Not raggin' on your ride (Xi). I drove a 325xi. It's still a 325i, just with a little more weight and alot more winter traction. Let us know how you like it when it arrives. Isn't this wait a killer? Mine is scheduled for early August.
You live in NH, right? Which dealership services your car? What do you think of them?
That said, we made an offer on a house in Windham last Wednesday, which was accepted, and we are targeting a 31-July closing. Which means that I have not yet had my car serviced in NH, in fact, I have not yet had it serviced at all (it only has 3000+ miles on it). It is however, my intention to have my car serviced by Tulley BMW in Nashua, about which I have heard good things.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Honestly, the only reason for this post is to deflect attention from unwelcome comparisons.
Congrats ORKWIS, and Happy Motoring!
Best Regards,
Shipo
I have the car, and love driving it. Want to be teased a bit? Go to the site:
http://community.webshots.com/user/skimblz_ and I have some pics of my car, both inside and out.
-Paul
Have a happy 4th.
I appreciate the restraint that many of you have showed in dealing with this, and I understand your frustration.
I'm sorry I wasn't able to get here sooner. If posts of that nature continue, they will be removed as soon as I see them. You would make my job easier if you would just not respond.
Please always feel free to call my attention to any sort of problem via email - thanks much to the folks who did.
Hang in there. We are done with that line of conversation in this discussion.
Pat
Sedans Host
-Chris
ps. thanks pat!
Because the 5 series actually only weighs about 240 pounds more than a comparable 3 series, and because of my experiences w/ the 520 and my current 325, I'm thinking that I would be happy w/ a 525i w/ manual transmission.
What do you think of your switch to the 5 series, and what do you miss about the 3? Given my criteria, do you think i'll be happier w/ the 5 (more solid feeling, no rattles, squeaks, etc)? I do feel a bit strange about getting rid of 13 month old car, but I'm getting the feeling that i'll never be completely happy w/ the 3-- and i like to keep my cars for a long time if possible. I just haven't managed to ever "warm up to my car".
Derek: i know on bimmer.org and some other sites there are answers to your questions, while i still consider the $645.00 HK a little over priced due to the design of the system your prob looking a lot more than that to upgrade. I know MB Quart make a package for the 3er but ive only seen it on the E36 not E46.... good luck
DL
-squeaky C pillar trim (try pressing on yours). If you want to hear really awful noises press on the inside of the backlight-- i noticed this while cleaning it the other day.
-cheap steering column trim
-decor strips (the wood or high gloss), make creaking noises-- this doesn't happen on the 5 and e38 7 series. Try pressing on these strrips and you'll see what I mean
-rattly, B seat belt height adjuster (yes, I've tried the TSB)- I finally took it apart myself and applied copious amounts of felt--that helped a lot
-unidentified rattle from driver side door or left dash-- many other 3 series do this but no one knows why. Its not the window regulator problem-- could be door seals-- but again that's endemic to the design
-Other rattles and noises that just mysteriously appear and vanish
-high pitched squeak over bigger bumps-- sounds like its coming from the seat
-cheap, flexy, squeaky plastic used for the center console (where the cupholders are).
-irritating HVAC sound noise-- it has a "pitch" to it almost like a moaning or whistling.
While I'm at it (some other cheap interior touches that don't make noise, but irritiate me nonetheless):
-exposed metal seat rails with exposed bolts
-cheap trunk lining material (take a look at a 5, 7 or Audi/VW to see how it should be done)
-"rough" untrimmed holes in the leather/vinyl where the front headrest chrome supports join the headrest. again, see Audi for how it should be done. I'll admit that the 5 and 7 are also poorly done in this respect
-Plastic door stop mechanisms
-Cheap feeling handbrake operation (can't quite describe-- but the 5 doesn't feel this way).
One of the reasons that I bought the car was for the inline 6 engine sound. Unfortunately, this is mostly drowned out by drivetrain/differential whine, excessive wind noise and all of the interior noises.
I suppose it might theoretically be possible to eliminate the noises, but it would involve taking apart the entire interior and applying lots of felt and foam. It would probably also involve having custom built versions of some interior pieces built. All of this would end up probably creating other problems and might not even stop all of the noises.
I was further disheartened the other day when I drove a rental Mazda Protege and couldn't hear any interior noises-- over rough roads and bumps the car just sounded one solid piece (the way a BMW SHOULD sound).
my experience w/ the 5 suggests that its better built in many ways. I probably should just give up on BMW altogether and buy an old Mercedes or a Japanese car, but I really like the combination of handling, performance, feel, practicality, styling, etc. The 5 seems to have all of these traits, while also being well built--but maybe I'm wrong about that. Maybe I am too picky- but it frustrates me that BMW could probably correct all of these issues in production for less than $10 (maybe much less) a car, but they don't.
Really? No kidding? Curse you for mentioning those exposed seat rails and bolts! I'll never be able to enjoy driving my 3er again. Anybody know where I can buy rolls of felt in bulk on a national holiday?
As far as my 530i, is does in fact seem even a little more “Vault Like” than my 328i. So far, there is only one little rub; my 530i has the “Seat Belt Tensioner Tick”, which I find very surprising, as I have never heard of this problem on a 5-Series before. That said, it is so faint that it really does not bother me unless I am on a rough road. From my perspective, based upon your experience with your 3er, I would say that you would probably love a 5-Series.
If you live in the NYC area, you are welcome to come by in the next couple of weeks and drive my 530i and see if it would be more to your liking. After that, my wife and I will be moving our family to the Southern New Hampshire area, so, if you are up there, the offer still applies, just a few weeks later.
Best Regards,
Shipo
The 5 does seem to be more solid. And the trim is nicer. But that is purely subjective on my part.
Sounds to me like you might be better off with a Lexus, say ES300 or GS300. But even then you'll likely have various noises from the engine or transmission that only you'll be able to hear.
I tend to drive listening to CD or radio, or talking with wife, or listening to the kids bicker. Maybe all their whining covers up some of my cars' whinings? Or might help me tolerate the various odd noises better?
I'm a big fan of manual transmissions and Sport Package. Only way to go in nice BMW. (Too bad wife can't drive a stick.)
I keep wondering if BMW isn't making their cars too complex and too overengineered such that they create all these little noises. All the additional items and equipment on the new 745i that supposedly are going to filter down to the next 5 Series make me nervous. Today's 5 Series has been in continuous production since 1996. It is about as reliable as you'll get for a BMW product! I'd recomend you get a 2002 or 2003 5 Series. BMW should've gotten as many "bugs", "gremlins", and "poltergiests" out of the platform after 6 or 7 years of production.